Europe's Budget Airlines: Flying for Less Than a Tank of Gas

The family at a night market in Intanbul

When my wife and I first traveled through Europe, we went the classic route: Eurail passes in hand, gliding across borders like it was 1892 and we were characters in a Tolstoy novel.

But travel evolves. Or maybe travelers do.

By the time we returned with three daughters in tow, it was clear we needed a new plan. So instead of choo-chooing our way across the continent, we took to the skies. With budget airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air, we crisscrossed Europe—and even dipped down into North Africa—sometimes for less than the price of a pizza and gelato combo.

Daughter 1 jumping for joy in Roma

Madrid to Marrakesh.

Marrakesh to Barcelona.

Barcelona to Rome.

Rome to Budapest.

Budapest to Istanbul.

Istanbul to Athens.

Athens back to Madrid.

Every single flight cost us between $25 and $45 (US) per person. That’s right: we went all over the place—for cheap.

Know Before You Jet

Now, before you go clicking “book” on a dozen flights, you need to know two things:

1. They will get you on bags.

Weight limits are strict. Fees for going over are even stricter. These airlines don’t make their money from $29 fares—they make it by charging you $70 to bring your backpack. And yes, they check. Every. Single. Time.

Weight limits can be quite low. Make sure you know what you are buying before you pay. We had flights with a 7-kilo limit. So, we stashed our main luggage in Madrid (where we began and ended the European portion of our trip), and just carried small backpacks around for our month in Europe.

I cut my photography gear down to one camera body and two lenses. It still took up a hefty chunk of my weight limit. So . . . I just wore everything. I would wear three shirts on the flight. I would absolutely fill my pockets (stuff in your pockets doesn’t count in your bag weight limit . . . but it will slow you down going through security).

We bought a traveler's scale that we could hang somewhere like the shower curtain rod and then hang a bag from a hook on it to know the weight of the bag. This helped us immensely, as we were able to distribute out the family's possessions so everyone made weight.

You have to be very selective in what you bring. But packing light is an outstanding travel skill, and Ryanair will help you hone it until it is razor sharp.

The family on the Acropolis at Athens

2. You’d better check in online.

At the time of our trip, checking in at the counter without a printed boarding pass meant hefty penalties. It’s more manageable now thanks to apps and mobile boarding passes. But back then, we were stuck trying to find places to print our passes. Our hotel in Madrid kindly offered to help—for the very reasonable price of 10 euro per page. Per person. For five people. I hit the streets and found a copy shop instead. The man at the shop may have saved our budget and our sanity.

But the biggest complication was this: EU rules prevented minors from checking in online. And the airlines' policies prevented us from checking in at the counter. A conundrum. So before every flight, I’d spend 30 to 60 minutes on the phone with airline customer service trying to get a note in our reservation stating that our daughters could check in at the counter without being fined. It was bureaucratic whack-a-mole. But I suppose that’s the price of a $25 airfare.

Final Verdict: Fly or Rail?

If you’re chasing experience, go with trains. I’ll always love them. A Eurail pass and nowhere in particular to be is one of the best ways to feel Europe.

But if you’re trying to hit a string of major cities and squeeze every last drop of value from your budget, the budget airlines of Europe are hard to beat.

You just have to fly light. Be flexible. And know that in the fine print lies madness.

Because travel.

The daughters in Budapest